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Mel rushed out the door, her large bag filled with costume stuff for Frank and his kids in her arms. She could see Langdon getting out of the car to help her. The windows of his car were rolled down and Mel could see Tanner and Penny in the backseat waving at her. She waved back and smiled at them.
Frank froze when he looked at her.
Mel’s hair was swept up in a much fancier style that she normally wore. She had put a little bit of makeup and glitter on her face.
It looked like Landon was trying to form words when Penny yelled out the window, “you’re a princess!”
Langdon smiled, the spell broken. He stepped up and took the bag from Mel’s shoulder. He leaned down and kissed her, it was quick and sweet. He whispered against her mouth, “a very beautiful princess.”
“Today we all get to be princesses.” Mel announced.
“I don’t want to be a princess!” Tanner complained.
Mel leaned in the car window to see the two children. They looked so much like Frank. “Hmm, would you like to be a knight?”
“Can I?” Tanner asked excitedly.
“Of course, we need someone to carry the shield and every princess needs a knight to protect her.”
“Me! Me!” Tanner exclaimed. “I want to protect Mel. Daddy can protect Penny.”
Mel shook her head, “I don’t know if that will work. You might have to protect both of us.”
Langdon walked behind her and opened the passenger door for her. “And why is that?”
Mel turned and smiled at him, “because your dad is going to be our jester for the day.”
Mel could hear the kids laugh behind her as she stepped up and wrapped her arms around Frank's neck. “Is that so?” He asked, smiling. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close, planting a longer kiss on her lips. The kids squealed in the back seat.
When they arrived at the faire grounds the four of them went through Mel’s bag and found different things for them each to wear. Penny grabbed a tiara, Tanner and shield and Frank wore a colorful jesters hat. “You’re enjoying this far too much?” Frank whispered as they lead the kids in the faire.
“Don’t make fun, maybe this is my kind of foreplay.” Mel whispered back a devilish look in her eyes. Frank gave her a look at that.
Penny wanted to get her face painted, and Tanner wanted to watch the joust. Mel had never had so much fun at the Renaissance Faire before. Mel met Penny and Tanner a month into Frank and Mel officially dating. They’d taken them to the Zoo the first time she met them. Penny liked Mel right away, she loved Mel’s blonde hair and asked Mel if she could braid her hair for her. It had become a routine whenever Mel was at Franks and his kids were there. Mel would braid Penny’s hair for bed or for school or to go play at the park. Tanner took a little longer, as he was slightly older than Penny.
Tanner came around to Mel when he met Becca. He had so many questions about them being twins. After that, it was like Mel was always one of Tanner's favorite people.
Becca liked Frank’s kids too. She would always tell Frank how smart they were, which Frank took in high regard.
Sometimes Mel would lie awake at night and just be so thankful for her life. Neither she nor Frank had the easiest journey to each other. There were a lot of things they both would change if they could, but at the end of the day all the hard ships brought them to each other.
It was nearing the end of the day. Tanner and Penny were asleep in the wagon Langdon brought. They were browsing through the different vendors. Everyone was so talented.
Frank picked up a small souvenir. Mel came over and looked at it. In his palm was a pin that said, ‘My First Ren Faire.’
Mel looked at the table to see they had more of the same pin, “I think we should get one for all three of you.”
“Best way to remember the day.” Frank said, smiling at her knowingly.
“You could start a collection on your work bag.”
Mel strolled forward with the wagon as Frank paid. They made their way out to the car.
The kids were awake by the time they got them in their car seats. Langdon drove, and asked if Mel would give the kids the gift they’d got. Mel reached into the bag and procured 4 pins. The three for each of them and a new one she hadn’t seen.
Mel smiled and closed the pin in the palm of her hands. “Frank, you didn’t have to do that.”
“You needed a pin for your bag too.” He said it like it was the simplest fact in the world. Mel opened her hand again to look at the pin that said, ‘Ren Faire Princess.’
“Hello Frank, I mean, Dr. Langdon.” Mel corrected. She was standing at the nurses station looking over the board. She could see Princess and Perlah in her field of vision. They weren’t paying attention to them, thankfully.
Langdon laughed. “What are you doing tonight?” He looked down at her, his blue eyes bright in the fluorescent lights of the ED.
“Nothing.” Mel shrugged. She adjusted her glasses.
“I was thinking we could hangout, watch a movie.” He said it so casually, like he didn’t know the storm brewing inside Mel.
“Sure, do you want to come to mine?” She asked. Her face was turning red.
Frank nodded, “that sounds great. I have a quick errand to run after work and then I’ll stop by.” He knocked on the desk in front of her twice and then went to meet his first patient of the day. Mel pressed her eyes closed for a moment and then looked back at the board. She scanned it looking for who should be her first case.
“You’re not supposed to pick and choose.” Santos sang next to Mel.
“I’m not.” Mel blushed even more. “I just spoke with you know who.”
“Mel, he’s not a villain in a movie, you can say his name.”
“Can I? Because this morning I greeted him as Frank. Don’t you think that is going to tip people off to you know what?”
Santos laughed, “pick a name and get to work, Dr. King. You clearly need to focus that brain of yours.”
Santos was right, which she usually was. Mel needed to get into the work day to feel better. She loved her job. It was stressful and intense, but Mel was good at it. Over the past year she grew not only as a person but as a doctor.
Mel knew she couldn’t keep what her and Frank were doing a secret forever, especially in the ED. She would meet his eyes across the room and could see him scan her. To make sure she was okay, make sure she didn’t need him. Then he would be off to the next thing. It was nice how easily they could check in. It wasn’t something that happened because of their two dates. It was something they built over time working together.
Mel knew they would need to disclose what they were doing, sooner rather than later. Did that mean going to HR? She didn't think there were any rules against dating co-workers. Trinity had dated Garcia, even if that isn't what Santos would call it. Mel made a mental note to look into that later.
Mel and Langdon were in trauma bay two with an unconscious man who was brought in by his wife. Mel was working on an eFAST when her phone made a chime. A very specific, very odd, stupid chime. Mel ignored it and continued to work, she’d turn her phone on silent later. Then she looked up and saw Langdon looking at her with a confused look on his face.
“Is everything okay?” Mel looked back at the patient scanning him quickly to make sure she didn’t miss anything, but as she had assessed he was stable and ready to go to CT.
“Do you need to get that?” His voice was tight, there were tension between his brows. Mel had the thought to reach over and smooth it out.
“No, I’ll turn it on silent later.” He looked her over once before returning to the patient. “Want me to put in the CT request?” He nodded and turned to leave. She watched as he removed his gloves and went through the double doors. He ran his left hand through his hair on the way out. Did she do something wrong?
Mel didn’t think much of the interaction the rest of the day. Langdon had left before her. She knew he’d had an errand to run. Which she was thankful for, it gave her time to clean up a bit at home.
She texted Becca letting her know Frank would be coming over for a movie. Becca informed Mel that she would be with Adam. Mel was thankful, she wanted Frank to herself tonight. Maybe he’d hold her hand all night, or makeout with her on the couch.
Mel was pulled from her thoughts when Frank called her. “Hey you.” She answered smiling. “The door is open, I thought we could order pizza, or chinese. I’m not picky.”
“I was hoping we could talk.”
“Sure, what's up?”
“I’m actually outside your place.” Instantly, Mel’s stomach dropped.
“Everything okay?”
“Can you come outside?” Mel nodded even though he couldn’t see. She hung up and grabbed a sweater on the coatrack. Her feet were still wearing her slippers out. He was parked in the visitor parking.
Mel smiled at him when she got into the car, he gave her a smile with little effort. Was he about to break up with her? Mel had never been dumped before. Were they even together enough for this to be a break up?
“Frank, you're starting to scare me.” Mel’s voice was small.
“Are you seeing other people?”
Mel’s eyes went wide, “what? No. No, I’m not seeing anyone. Unless we are counting you. If you’re counting you, then yes, but we haven’t talked about that.”
Frank let out a sigh and a small smile touched his lips, “I’m sorry, Mel.” Oh god, this is it. “I heard that stupid chime today and I thought, shit no you’re right, we haven’t talked about it, have we?” Langdon said, rubbing his eyes. He looked tired.
“Frank? I’m confused.” Mel’s brow furrowed and she rubbed her hands together trying to sooth herself.
“Mel, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions. Let me try and be clear.” He took a deep breath and took her hands in his, “I really like you. I would like for us to be exclusive, which would mean deleting the dating app.”
“Oh,” Mel reached for the phone in her pocket, she swiped to the last page that held the app and deleted it right there. “I haven’t opened it since we went on our first date. I forgot it was there to be honest. The notification today was telling me that I had matches waiting, not a chat.
She could see the relief on his face. His whole body relaxed in the drivers seat. “Do you know what this means, Mel?” She shook her head, waiting for him to tell her. “This means you’re my girlfriend.” A tiny squeak escaped her mouth and Frank smiled so bright, “is that okay?” She nodded. It was very, very okay.
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Langdon was fun to be around. Mel knew this. She’d worked with him for months now. She knew the face he made when he’d told her a joke. The pause to see if she caught what he meant. She knew how quick he was. He could rattle off a diagnosis within moments. She knew he was kind. She’d seen how close he was with everyone he worked with. But Mel didn’t know how much fun she could have.
For their second date, Langdon took her to a fancy Italian restaurant. When she’d seen it, she was thankful that Santos made such a big deal about how she looked. The stewards wore button-up shirts and the waiters wore ties. Mel didn’t eat at fancy restaurants like this. For a few reasons, the first being the cost. She didn’t want to think about what the price of food was. Second, she didn’t like fancy food. Looking over the menu, she was happy to see that there were a few items she would like.
“Frank,” Mel stage whispered across the table, “we can go somewhere more,” Mel searched for the right word, “casual.”
“Is there nothing you like? I looked over the menu, and I thought I saw a few things.” Of course, he looked over the menu. He’d probably been storing away all of the food preferences Mel let slip over the last month.
“It’s not that. This place seems fancy.”
Langdon laughed, “I wanted to take you to some place fancy. Plus, you mentioned you’d never tried tiramisu, and this place has the best in the city. My parents took me here when I was kid.”
Mel looked around, taking everything in with fresh eyes. It did look older, worn around the edges. Mel could picture a young Frank sitting with his parents, talking a mile a minute. She wondered if he’d taken his kids here, so she asked. Langdon told her a story about bringing Penny here for the first time. She’d thrown spaghetti at a painting. Langdon felt so bad he offered to pay for the painting. The owner kept protesting until Langdon wore him down; it ended up being a thousand dollar painting. Mel laughed as Frank told the story. It easily could have been a story of anger or frustration, but Langdon told it like it was a funny anecdote.
Conversation flowed through appetizers. Langdon told Mel about growing up as an only child. Mel told Frank about having a twin. How sometimes it didn’t feel like Mel had her own identity outside of Becca. How spending time with Santos over the last few months had really helped Mel find herself.
Mel noticed Langdon hadn’t spoken much about Abby. He never had. He’d drop her name here or there when talking about picking up the kids. Or she might come up in a story about the kids, but he never spoke of her directly.
“How did you and Abby meet?” Mel asked, their dinner had arrived, and Mel was twisting the spaghetti onto her fork.
Langdon looked slightly uncomfortable, but Mel didn’t let him off the hook, she wanted to know. “We met at University. We had an elective class together. We were friends. Sometimes more. We were like that for a few years and then Tanner surprised us. We got married, had Penny, and I think you know the rest.” Mel did not feel like she knew the rest. That was a quick summary for such a long relationship.
“Was she your first girlfriend?”
Frank's eyes sparkled across the table at her, “I had a girlfriend in high school, but it wasn’t anything serious. You know, high school love.”
Mel wasn’t sure she knew. “I haven’t been in love,” Mel said, pondering the idea.
“That’s okay.” He smiled. Langdon reached across the table to run his fingers over her hand. “Have you ever felt close?”
Mel thought for a moment. Langdon removed his hand and continued to eat, giving her time to find her words. “There was a boy in med school. We studied together. Then we started sleeping together. I think I thought it was love at the time, but people who love you don’t treat you like he did.” He never wanted to see her outside of their study sessions. It was only in hindsight that Mel could see how awful the whole situation had been. At the time, she liked the attention.
Langdon nodded, at a loss for words. “I’m sorry, Mel.”
She shrugged, “taught me a lot.” Mel blushed, “Not sexually, well, I guess he did, but that's not what I meant.”
He laughed, “I know. Thank you for telling me.” She nodded.
Dinner was so good Mel wasn’t sure she had room for dessert. Langdon insisted they at least share, given it was his whole reasoning for going there.
The waiter brought out the cake and two teas. It was delicious, Mel couldn’t believe she’d never had it before. She told Langdon as much.
He’d gotten a little quiet as the end of the date grew near. She could see he was building up to something, she wished he’d spit it out. She told him as much. “I am going to kiss you goodnight later.”
Mel felt her body heat. “You are?”
He nodded, “If that’s okay.”
Mel nodded enthusiastically. “That is very okay.”
He smiled brightly, “good, cause it’s all I have been thinking about since our last date.” Mel was surprised by this. Not because she didn’t think he would want to kiss her, but because she hadn’t really thought about it. Now that was, she felt consumed by it. Her mouth went dry. Her palms were sweaty. “Don’t worry about it,” he reached for her hand again, “it’s just us.” Didn’t he know that was the problem? Mel had kissed a few men over the years. They were never a particularly good time. She assumed she didn’t like kissing. That was until Santos told her she was crazy, that kissing was supposed to make your whole body ache. She’d never felt that.
They finished their desserts and walked back to the car. Santos had driven Mel to work so that Langdon could drive her home. They had even arranged that themselves. Maybe there was hope for the two of them being friends, if not at least friendly. For Mel’s sake.
Mel wasn’t listening to Langdon as they drove, his hand was on her thigh. It wasn’t inappropriate or anything, but it lit Mel’s skin on fire. “Don’t you think?” Langdon asked.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” Mel shook her head to break the fog.
“You alright, Mel?”
She shook her head again, “no, I can’t stop thinking about what is about to happen?”
“You mean the kiss?” Mel nodded. Langdon turned on the car's ticker and pulled into a parking lot. He parked them at the back away from the other cars. Then, Langdon got out of the car, and Mel asked what he was doing.
Langdon opened the passenger door. He leaned in and unbuckled Mel. He took her thighs in both of his hands, and he turned her so her legs were dangling over the edge of her seat. Mel’s heart was beating so fast. She must have said as much out loud because Frank was pressing her hands to his chest so she could feel that his heart matched hers.
Mel looked up at Langdon. He was smiling down at her. His eyes scanned her face. “I’m going to kiss you now.” Mel was nodding when his lips pressed to hers. It started gentle, and slow. His hand still on her thigh, he started rubbing his thumb back and forth. Then his other hand came up and cupped the side of her face to pull her closer. He angled their head to deepen the kiss, and she parted her mouth for him. Then she was reaching for him. Her hands clung to his shirt, and pulled his body closer.
Oh, oh this is what Santos was talking about. Mel could feel every nerve in her body. It was like she had an electric shock at each new place his hands touched. Why had they not been doing this always? Langdon pulled back, and Mel let out a sound of disappointment. Langdon chuckled and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m not done with you yet, but let’s get back to your place before I forget where we are.”
Mel’s hands still gripped his shirt. She pulled him back to her for another quick kiss before letting go. “We will be doing that again,” Mel announced.
They did. Langdon kissed Mel again in the car. Then again, when he opened the door for her. Then again, when they got to the door. Then again, as she tried to open her door. He was hovering behind her, kissing her neck. Mel squirmed, “How am I supposed to get my door open?”
“I think the point is, you’re not.” Mel turned, and he enveloped her with his arms. He pulled her closer; she could feel heat everywhere their bodies touched. “I had a really great time with you.” He smiled lopsidedly.
“Me too.” Mel smiled back, “but you have work tomorrow and I don’t want to keep you.”
Langdon groaned, “I hate work.”
“No, you don’t.” Mel laughed.
“I hate it when you’re not there.”
Mel blushed, “Goodnight, Frank.” He leaned in and kissed her again, this time it was sweet. Soft and quick. Mel could feel the kiss through her entire body.
“Goodnight, Mel.”
Mel finally got her door open and stepped inside. Langdon stayed until her door was shut. Once inside, Mel called Trinity. “You home?”
“I am.” Mel’s voice was filled with hope. “You were right, by the way.”
“I usually am. What was I right about this time?”
“Kissing is fun.”
“Oh no, Mel! I don’t want to know that Dr. Langdon is a good kisser. I need my brain scrubbed. I need to go get a concussion.”
“Are you done being dramatic?”
“No, I need one of those zapper things from Men In Black.” Mel laughed, “Now I am done.”
Langdon had sent Mel a photo of his red bull the next morning. It was a photo of the inside of his locker. The photo was followed by a text that read, ‘worth the lack of sleep.’
She replied, ‘because your team won?’ She felt comfortable teasing him a bit more. It was fun.
‘You know that’s not why at all.’
That was all she’d heard from him until that evening. Becca and Mel played Ticket to Ride. Becca had won every time. Mel told herself it was because she was distracted, but the truth was Mel sucked at that game. Multiple times throughout the evening Mel thought about telling Becca about Frank. Becca knew Langdon, not only because Mel spoke about him, but Becca had met him a few months ago at the hospital. Mel couldn’t figure out why she was still so hesitant to tell Becca. She thought Santos would be the worst to tell.
Becca and Mel had gone there separate ways for the evening. Mel was reading when her phone started to ring. Frank was calling her. “Hello?”
“It is good to hear your voice.” Mel blushed and slid further under her covers.
She kept her voice low, “rough day?”
“Only because you weren’t here. Otherwise it was actually not too bad.” Mel could hear Langdon yawn.
“I’m back in tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” A beat passed between them, “I saw you’re off again on Thursday. Would you like to get dinner after shift on Wednesday?”
Mel couldn’t stop from smiling if she tried, “We don’t always have to go out when I have a day off."
“I know, but on my days off I have Penny and Tanner. Not that I don’t want you to meet them, but not yet.”
Mel hadn’t thought of that. She’d heard so much about them and seen photos it felt like she did know them. “When you’re ready. Until then I’ll have to be okay with your red bull addiction.” The word left her mouth before she really thought about it. “Not like that, it was a joke.”
“I know, Mel.” He laughed, “I have an addictive personality.”
“How is all of that going?”
He let out a sigh, she liked hearing his voice in her ear as he spoke, “I take everything day by day. I have a long road ahead, but I was given a second chance and I don’t plan to waste it.”
“I think it’s really admirable what you’re doing.”
Langdon scoffed, “I wish everyone saw it that way.”
“How do you see it?”
“Penance.”
It felt like the air had been sucked from the room. “It’s not an easy thing.”
“Mel,” his voice sounded blue, "there's something you don’t know.”
“Do you want to tell me?”
“No,” he was almost too quiet to hear, “but I think I should.” Mel waited for him to speak. She could hear him take a deep breath. The phone pressed hard against her ear. “I was skimming from the hospital. Taking meds from patients.”
Mel didn’t speak.
“Mel?”
“I was waiting for you to finish.”
“I am finished.” He sounded confused.
Mel laughed softly, “where else would you have got them from?”
“What I did was wrong”
“Yes,” Mel nodded, “but you know that. You’re doing everything you need to do to get better and to be a better doctor.”
“Where did you come from, Mel?”
“I worked at the VA before here, but you already know that.”
He laughed, “I’m glad you’re here now.”
~~~
The first day they worked together after their date, Mel should have been more prepared. She’d spent weeks pretending Frank wasn’t Langdon, that now, she was even more unsure how she should act.
Trinity was at the lockers when Mel arrived. She was talking with Dennis, “because I said so.”
“Now, you really sound like my mother.” Dennis groaned, he shut his locker and walked away.
“What was that about?” Mel asked, she opened her locker and put her bag inside.
“I didn’t like where he put the bowls back.” Santos grumbled, then she leaned in conspiratorially, “have you seen him yet?”
“I don’t want to talk about it here.” Mel whispered back.
“Melatonin, I saw how you reacted the other night. Do you really think you’ll be able to act normal?”
“Hello Dr. Santos. Mel.” Langdon said, Mel jumped a foot in the air.
“I rest my case.” Santos said shutting her locker, she turned to Dr. Langdon, “you hurt her, I ruin your life. For real this time.” Frank looked away from Mel to study Santos. “Deal?” She asked, putting her hand out for a shake.
“I don’t feel comfortable with that.” Mel said, pushing Santos’ hand back down.
Trinity rolls her eyes, “Fine. Don’t hurt her.” Santos’ pointed a finger at his chest.
“Can we not do this here?” Mel asked.
“I think I prefer Dr. Santos giving me this talk to Becca doing it.” Frank said. He smiled at Mel and his hand brushed hers before he bent down to open his locker.
Santos was smiling, “can I please be there when Becca finds out?”
Frank looked up at Mel, “you haven’t told Becca?”
Mel suddenly felt hot, “I said I don’t want to ask about it here.” She shut her locker and stalked off.
“You’ve upset her already.” Those were Santos’ parting words to Langdon.
Mel knew Langdon was trying to get her attention. He’d been looking at her all day. Every time she would look at him, his eyes were already waiting for her. He hadn’t tried to start up the conversation with her again, but she knew it wasn’t over.
They’d been on one date. It was a great date, but it was still only one. She wasn’t ready for the entirety of the ED to know about it yet. As Santos pointed out, she had yet to tell Becca.
In the car ride over to Becca’s facility Mel decided she was going to tell Becca about her date with Dr. Langdon. Mel had read somewhere online that hard conversations were better done in the car.
Becca told Mel about her day, and about a new girl that had just stared going. Then Becca asked Mel how her day went.
“I actually wanted to tell you something.”
“What?” Becca asked, Mel could feel Becca looking at her.
“I went on a date with Dr. Langdon.”
“You said you didn’t want to date people from work.”
“You’re right, I did. I changed my mind.”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“No,” Mel shook her head, “we’ve gone out once, but he’s asked me out again.”
“You should ask him.”
“How did you ask Adam?” Mel realized she’d never asked Becca. Mel hadn’t asked Becca much about Adam. At first it was because she was angry, but after that it was because Mel didn’t know how. She and Becca had never talked about boys. Or dating. Mel looked over to Becca. She was telling Mel a story. She was smiling and animated. Mel vowed to keep asking Becca about Adam. She hoped Becca would do the same.
~~~
Her phone rang on her nightstand. Mel sprinted across her room to grab it. “Hello?”
“Hey, Mel.” It was so nice hearing Frank say her name. “How was your night?”
“I told Becca.” Mel blurted out, “I don’t want you thinking I was hiding it.”
Frank laughed, “it’s okay. I knew you’d tell her when it felt right.”
It hadn’t felt right at first, but by the time they got home Mel knew she’d made the right decision. “I am also sorry about Trinity.”
“I’m glad you two are friends. She’s very protective of you. She whispered threats as she walked by me all day.”
“Oh no.” Mel groaned.
“No, you see. I decided to see how many she could think of. I would take the long way just to walk by her again. At one point she threatened to throw me in the lions den at the zoo.” He laughed.
“You don’t hate her? For everything.”
He sighed, “I did, for a long time. Part of recovery is taking responsibility for your actions. I’m glad to be in recovery. If Santos hadn’t stopped me when she did, I don’t know what my life would look like. And uh.”
“What?” Mel turned the lights off in her room and just listened to his voice.
“I think Santos got under my skin that first day because we’re a lot alike. I think it’s easy to hate people that remind you of yourself.”
“A lot of the things I love about both of you are the same. Uh, I mean” Mel stumbled, “you both mean a lot to me.”
“We know. You mean a lot to both of us."
~~~
Trinity took Mel into the restroom after work. She did Mel’s hair again despite Mel protecting that Frank saw what she looked like all day. Then Santos had Mel put on the outfit she’d picked the night before. It was a longer pink dress that went down to Mel's knees. “You’re still sharing your location?”
“Trinity!”
“That’s not a yes.”
“Yes,” Mel rolled her eyes, a habit she’d picked up from Santos. “We still share locations. I will text you when I get home.”
Santos seemed satisfied. Mel watched as Trinity packed up. She was biting her lip. Mel could see there was something Santos wasn’t saying. Mel asked what was wrong. Trinity turned to look at Mel, worry pulled in Mel’s stomach. “I’m trying to be very supportive. Your friendship means a lot to me, Mel. Langdon and I have our issues, and I am trying. I really am.”
“I know you are. I can see it.” Mel touched Santos' shoulder. Trinity looked at Mel’s hand. They didn’t touch much.
“We’ve never talked about that day.” Santos' eyes turned to the floor. “I haven’t wanted to talk about it. I think I thought you might take his side.”
Mel shook her head, “no, Trinity. There aren't any sides. What Frank did was wrong, and inexcusable. But, he’s done a lot of work since then. I think that deserves some recognition.” Then Mel reached for Trinity’s hands and held them, “I know what you did wasn’t easy. I wish I could have been there for you more during all of it. I appreciate you trying.”
Trinity rolled her eyes trying to keep tears from spilling over. “Like I had a choice! You should see the way you light up when you talk about him.”
Mel squeezes Trinity’s hand, “you know you’re not losing me, either way.” Mel smiled, “Trinity you’re my best friend.”
“What about Becca?” Now Trinity was crying.
Mel tilted her head to the side, “she’s my sister. Sure, I would have told you she's best friend, but you’re my first best friend that isn’t my twin.”
Santos laughed, “great I get an asterisk next to my name.” Mel threw her head back and laughed. “You’re my best friend too, Mel.”
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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summary: Trinity convinces Mel to join a dating app. What neither of them could have prepared for was Mel matching with Dr. Langdon.
no warning, it's fluff and angst.
also on AO3 if you'd rather read it there.
read chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4
“Earth to Melancholic.” Mel rested her head in her hands while leaning on the nurses station. She had been staring at Langdon. She stood straight and looked to Santos.
“Good Morning, Trinity.” Mel smiled at her.
“You good? You don’t space out like that normally.” Santos looked in the direction Mel was looking, thankfully Dr. Langon was no longer standing there.
“Yeah, just distracted.”
Santos was looking over the board. Dr. Langdon stepped up beside her. His arms crossed over his chest, head tilted up to see the screen. “It’s looking spooky out there.”
“It’s not Halloween yet.” Santos chided him before walking off.
“What does she have against Halloween?” Langdon asked.
Mel shrugged, they both knew it had little to do with the holiday and more to do with him.
“What did you and Becca get up to on your day off?”
Mel smiled, “Becca’s group home had a movie night. I went and we all watched Halloween Town.”
“Is that a Disney movie?”
“It is. They’re some of my favorite Halloween movies from my childhood.”
“Maybe I’ll see if Penny and Tanner want to watch it.”
Mel lit up, “I think they would like it.” He smiled at her. She felt her face flush. Dr. Al-Hassimi called over to Dr. Langdon. He gave Mel a quick nod and followed Dr. Al into Trauma Bay 1.
Mel was starting to get concerned. Why had Langdon not given her any sort of acknowledgement that he was on the other end of all those messages.
Would she show up on Friday night and be devastated to find out Frank isn’t Langdon. No way was she going to be the one to say anything. She didn’t want to break it, this little piece of perfect in her life. Maybe he liked keeping it a secret.
Mel had friends growing up that were like that. They’d call over and ask Mel to hangout and they’d have a really great time. Mel would feel like they were good friends. Then at school the next day, they would pretend Mel didn’t exist. Mel didn’t like to think that was what Langdon was doing.
There was a message from Frank waiting for her after work, and from Sean. She’d sent Sean a message explaining that she had a great time, but didn’t see them being more than friends. The message he sent back said he agreed with her, and that he’d also had a good time. Mel was happy that it was resolved.
Becca was talking about something and Mel looked away from the phone to ask her to repeat herself. “You are on your phone all the time now. You didn’t even watch Elf last time we watched it.”
Mel put her phone in her pocket, “sorry, I didn’t mean to be distracted.”
“What were you looking at?” It was at this moment Mel realized she’d been keeping her dating life a secret from Becca. The same thing Mel had freaked out about months earlier.
“I was texting someone.”
“Who?”
“A friend I met on an app.”
“Those can be dangerous. People scam people on there. Is someone trying to scam you?”
She really hoped not, “no, it’s just a way to meet people. It’s hard to meet people at work.”
“You talk about so many different people at work.”
Mel took a slow breath, “yeah, but this is for dating.”
“Like a boyfriend?” Becca beamed.
Mel nodded, “it’s all new.”
“You need to ask them to be your boyfriend or else you’ll never get anywhere.”
“That is good advice, thank you Becca.”
Becca lost interest in the conversation after that. She went to build a puzzle in her room. Mel ordered them a pizza and sat on the couch. She opened the message from Frank. ‘I grabbed you a jersey after work today. I’m looking forward to Friday.’
Frank had bought the tickets, and made the plan for meeting up. It was Mel’s day off, she had a meeting at Becca’s group home in the afternoon. Her and Frank would meet up after that.
Mel typed, ‘you didn’t have to do that, but I really appreciate it.’
No reply came by the time the pizza arrived. Becca ate in her room. Mel put on some documentary she saved to watch at a later date. The worst part was that Mel kept checking her phone. It was an impulse. She started hearing a phantom chime. Finally she turned off the tv and went to bed. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth when she heard the definite sound of that stupid app.
‘Sorry, the kids wanted to build a fort, I lost my phone down the side of the couch for hours.’ Mel could almost picture it. Frank and his kids having a lovely evening.
‘Did you watch a movie in the Fort?’ She asked.
‘Obviously! We watched Halloween Town.’ Mel’s mouth went dry. Her vision blurred a little as she reread the message over and over. ‘It was a great movie! I highly recommend it.’ Mel felt the tears pool silently and slide down her face. He’d broken the bubble, and then put it back together. He’s pretending she wasn’t the one to recommend it. Why? Why was he pretending it wasn’t her? Did he not want it to be her? Was he ashamed it was her?
Mel pressed her eyes closed tightly. She started to count to 100. They are going on a date in 5 days. 5 days to figure this all out. 5 days and she will know for sure that it is Langdon on the other side of the phone.
Instead of freaking out for 5 days, Mel could have just asked him, but that felt like too much. It felt scary, she didn’t want to ruin it before it even started.
~~~
Trinity was over. Becca and her were in the living room arguing about some reality tv show on TV. Mel was in the kitchen making them dinner.
“Mel, can you please tell Becca that is not how Love Island works?” Trinity yelled into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Santos. Track record shows Becca is probably right.”
“See!” She hears Becca exclaim. Mel was glad Becca decided to join them that night.
Once dinner was ready they all sat around the dinner table. Mel was happy listening to the two of them talk, until they turned the conversation to Mel.
“Trinity told me you went on a date last week.” Becca said, she help Mel’s gaze.
“Did she?” Mel gave Trinity a quick glance, “I did go on a date, but I will not be going on a second.”
“Why not? Did you have a bad time?” Becca asked.
“No, I didn’t have a bad time. It just didn’t feel right. Like when you’re with Adam you’re really happy, right?” Becca smiled and nodded, “I had a good time with him, but it didn’t make me happy.” Becca seemed to understand.
“It’s okay, Becca. Mel is going to keep swiping, aren’t you?” Mel was not a good liar. She nodded instead of speaking out loud.
Mel had weighed the pros and cons of telling Trinity about her date with Frank. In the end, she decided it was best to wait. For all Mel knew, it wasn’t actually Langdon. Or, a worse thought, maybe she wouldn’t enjoy herself on the date anyway.
~~~
Her car was parked in a parking garage across the street from the stadium. She’d been sitting there for over 5 minutes now. Get out of the car and go meet him. She reread his last message in the app that stated where he was and that he was excited to see her. Mel’s hands were shaking and her teeth were chattering. She was so nervous, and cold. Why was she cold?
When she’d read the message 5 minutes ago her face lit up and then reality crept in. What if it's not Langdon? What if she’s really been duped? Which started a spiral of thoughts. What if it’s not? She enjoys talking to whoever is on the other line. If it’s not him, maybe this will be something they laugh about later. Or something she’ll tell as a joke. Remember that time she thought Frank Langdon was interested in her?
Then her thoughts went even darker, if it’s not Langdon, no one knows where she is. Trinity had lectured her multiple times about safety in online dating.
Mel still didn’t move. She counted backwards from 100. When she got to 1, Mel grabbed her phone. Instead of opening the dating app, she went to her contacts. Langdon had given Mel his number a few weeks after he returned to work. It was meant to be used to swap shifts. She hadn’t ever used the number, but she pressed call.
It rang once and then his voice came through the phone, “Hey Mel,” she breathed at the sound of his voice. “How are you?”
“It’s you, right?” Mel’s voice came out small.
“What?”
“It’s you, I’m not being tricked.” Her voice broke on the last word.
She could hear him let out a breath, “yeah, Mel. It’s me. Where are you?”
“The parking garage across the street.”
“Why don’t I come find you?”
Mel shook her head, “no, I’m coming. I just needed to make sure.”
“I’m very excited to see you.” She smiled at that.
“Yeah, me too.” They hung up.
Mel unbuckled herself and grabbed her bag. She’d worn her favorite jeans and a cute sweater. Trinity would probably say her outfit was not first date appropriate, but Langdon had seen her at the end of a long shift with blood on her face. Plus, this outfit made her feel comfortable and she wasn’t sure how cold it would be in the arena.
Frank was waiting right where he said he would be. Mel’s pace picked up when their eyes met and he smiled at her. He was wearing a hockey jersey. His hair was loose like it is after a long day of him running his hands through it. Had he been playing with it while he waited for her?
Once she was close enough to hear him, he held up a jersey that she assumed was for her. “Can’t go any further without the proper attire. Safety hazard.”
Mel laughed as she stepped up to him. “I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen.” Frank handed her the jersey and offered to hold her bag while she put it on. “Thanks again for getting me this. You really didn’t have to.”
Frank shrugged, brushing her off, “it’s your first game. If I’m going to make a fan out of you, you need the full experience.” Langdon took a step back to look Mel over. It was nerve wracking being under his gaze and Mel blushed. “Perfect! Ready to go in?” He gave her bag back to her and led her towards the door.
The arena was loud and crowded. Mel from a year ago might have really struggled in this environment, but after working in the ED for so long, it didn’t feel overwhelming. Plus, Langdon was here. He kept glancing at her to make sure she was with him. At one point, his hand brushed her lower back. She might have blacked out for a moment when that happened.
“Did you want to get something to eat?” He yelled over the crowd of people.
Mel nodded and Langdon steered her towards one of the food kiosks. Mel looked over the menu while they stood in line. “Get whatever you’d like.” Langdon told her as he reached for his wallet.
Mel ordered chicken fingers. She thought they would be the easiest to eat without looking stupid. She wasn’t about to get a Hot Dog. Langdon ordered the same thing, then he turned to her, “did you want something to drink? If you want alcohol we will have to go to a different area, I think.” Langdon's head whipped around, searching for where one might buy alcohol.
“Are you going to get something?”
Langdon looked down at her and smiled, “I don’t drink anymore.” He winked at her. Mel’s body felt warm.
“I’m good with just water.” He ordered one for each of them.
He handed Mel the waters and he carried the food. Mel was thankful today that Langdon was tall. It was easy to find him if she lagged behind. He would turn around often to make sure he hadn’t lost her. Each time meeting her eyes with a smile.
Their seats were good. Or at least Mel thought they were. They were higher up in the arena but she could see the entire ice from where they were. There were players on the ice already. “Did it start?”
Langdon smiled brightly, “no, they’re just warming up. We have about 30 minutes before puck drop. That’s the start of the game.” He explained.
They ate their food and watched the warm up. Langdon explained to her a few basics about the game. Mel had looked up the rules of hockey late the night before. It felt easier to understand when Langdon explained it.
“I’m really glad you agreed to come.” Langdon said. He leaned over to her so she could hear him better. The arena was starting to fill up. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.”
“Wanted to do what?”
“Hang out, outside of work.”
Mel’s brows furrowed, “You never said anything.”
Frank looked at her, “yes, I did.”
“Frank, you never asked me out.” Mel was staunch in her statement.
Langdon laughed, “it’s weird that you call me Frank now.” He looked out at the ice before turning back to her. “I tried. I would ask if you had plans, and most of the time you did. Either doing something with Becca or karaoke with Santos. I started to feel like maybe you didn’t want to hang out. Then you appeared on my phone and it felt like the universe was giving me a sign.”
“No, that’s not true.” Mel shook her head, “you can’t ask what my plans are and expect me to think that means you want to ask me out?”
Langdon nodded his head, “I realized that.”
“I would prefer if we were more direct. It was very confusing that you would message me at night and then pretend nothing happened at work.”
“What? Mel, I was following your lead?”
Mel's face scrunched, “I wasn’t leading.”
“The first day after we spoke, I asked how your night was, and you said you had a normal night. I thought that was you telling me you didn’t want to talk about it.”
Mel thought about that first day, she’d been so nervous. “I thought it wasn’t you.”
“I gathered that from earlier, why did you think that?”
“You never used names, you never referenced anything we talked about. Except for Halloween Town, but I thought maybe that could be a coincidence.”
Langdon looked upset, Mel didn’t want him to be upset. “I’m really sorry, Mel. I didn’t realize that was making you worry. I thought it was like this inside joke. Like, we both know who we are talking about but we were pretending we’re strangers.”
“I don’t want to pretend that anymore.” Langdon nodded in agreement.
Their conversation drifted back to the game once it started. Langdon continued to explain different rules to her. Off side, icing and why a player was getting a penalty.
Mel’s favorite part was when they scored, because when they scored Langdon would stand and cheer. Mel would follow standing and hollering. Frank would be so excited he’d give Mel a hug. They were quick and celebratory, but Mel was upset they only scored 3 times.
At the second intermission, Langdon suggested they stretch their legs. She followed him out of the row and back out to the kiosks. Langdon turned and offered Mel his hand. For a moment, Mel’s reaction was to shake it. Then she realized he was going to hold her hand. Mel reached for him and his hand enveloped hers. He gave her a quick squeeze and led her through the crowd. It was much more practical to hold hands, but it felt like her hand was on fire. Every time he squeezed her a little tighter making sure he didn’t lose her. Every time his thumb would brush the inside of her wrist. Does he have any idea what he is doing?
He brought her to a larger gift shop. Floor to ceiling was covered in Pittsburg merchandise. Langdon held onto Mel’s hand as they looked through the shop. They had such odd stuff. These necklaces with giant heads. Sticks, coasters, hats, sweaters. “How about this?”
Frank was holding up a button that said, ‘My First Hockey Game.’
“For what?”
“You have all those buttons on your backpack. This could be a little souvenir from your first game.”
“Isn’t that what the jersey is for?” Mel reached for the pin to hold in her hand, the other still held tight to Langdon’s.
“It is, but this is something you’ll see every day.” Mel smiled and looked down at the pin in her hand.
“Okay, I like that.” Langdon insisted he buy it. She’d have to pay him back somehow.
No one scored in the last period. Mel was disappointed, but Pittsburgh won. Frank was happy, which meant Mel was happy. Langdon had let go of Mel’s hand twice during the period, but each time he would reach for her again. Her stomach would do somersaults at the feel of his touch.
He walked her towards the parking garage. His thumb rubbing back and forth on her wrist. Normally the repetitive movement would irritate Mel, but she looked forward to each brush of his thumb. “I took an Uber here. I thought I could drive you home and then get an Uber from there.”
Mel looked up at him confused, “wouldn’t it make more sense for me to drive you home and then take myself home?”
Langdon laughed, “logically yes, but I was trying to be a gentleman. I could also Uber from here, but I want to spend more time with you.” She really was going to have to talk to him about saying stuff like that.
“If you insist, I could let you drive me home.” She felt him squeeze her hand.
Mel gave Langdon her keys when they got to her car. She’d never sat on the passenger side. She put her address into her phone and turned the radio on. They drove in silence until they were away from the traffic from the game. Once they were on the highway, Langdon reached for Mel’s hand again and she giggled.
“What?”
“You really like holding my hand.” He laughed too.
“Yes, Mel, I really like holding your hand.” She watched his other hand grip the steering wheel. “I’ll keep holding it if you let me.”
Langdon pulled into her parking spot, and cut the engine. He turned in the driver seat to look at her. She mirrored his action. “Did you have a good time?”
She smiled, “I did. I think I’ll need to watch a few more games before I fully understand all the rules, but I can see why you like it. It’s quite the adrenaline rush.” Or holding Frank's hand all night was the rush.
“That makes me very happy to hear.” He looked like he had something else to say, but decided against it. “I should probably get going, I’ve got work tomorrow.”
Mel nodded, she could have sat there all night. “Don’t want you to be too tired.”
“I’ll walk you to your door.” He let go of her hand, got out of the car and jogged around to her side to get the door. “My mother said she’d kill me if I didn’t get the door for you.” Had he told his mother about her? Mel smiled, unsure how to respond.
Her hand fit in his as he walked her towards her apartment building. “Thank you again, for the tickets, the jersey, food. The pin!”
“Thank you for coming with me.” He let go of her hand and she reached for her keys.
Mel opened the door and turned back to face Frank. He was looking down at her. He’d looked at her a lot over the course of their friendship. He looked at her across the ED. In trauma bays. At their lockers. He looked at her when she had a question. When he was teaching her something. This look was different, it made a million butterflies burst in her belly.
Langdon leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Goodnight, Mel.”
“Goodnight, Frank.”
He laughed, “yeah, that will take a moment to get used to.”
~~~
Mel leaned against her door, a smile wide on her face. She took a deep breath and reached for her phone. She dialed Santos, “Meloration, what are you doing calling me?”
“Do you have a bottle of wine lying around?”
Mel could feel her heart beating faster with each word, “I do, Mel did you go on a date without telling me?”
“I did, and if you’d like to hear all about it, I'll see you over here in 10 minutes."
“Becca home?”
“Nope, you can have her bed. But hurry, before I change my mind.”
Santos was knocking on her door exactly 8 minutes later, and Mel hadn’t moved. She could feel the knock reverberate through her back. She spun and opened the door. “Oh, it was a good date?” Santos inferred from the look on Mel’s face.
Mel smiled even wider, “it was a very good date. Now poor yourself a large glass of wine and sit down. You are going to listen all the way through before you ask any questions.”
Mel began telling Santos about her mystery man. She told her about talking to him online, how Mel wasn’t sure she was ever going to meet up with him, she just enjoyed talking. She told Santos about his history jokes. How if she didn’t understand what he said the first time, he would reframe it for her. Then she told her about how he asked her out and invited her to the hockey game. She told her about how he’d planned everything. He bought her a jersey. He was attentive and funny. She told Santos how he’d held her hand, and he kept pressing his thumb to her wrist. Mel’s face hurt from smiling. She got through the entire story and Santos didn’t say a word.
“So, what is wrong with him?” Santos asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Mel, you are building this up a lot. All I needed to know was you had a good time. Is he older? Or deformed? Does he have a wife?”
“No, worse than that.” Santos' brow furrowed and Mel turned her phone for her to see. On the screen was a selfie Langdon had taken of them at the end of the game. Mel was smiling wide and Langdon had his arm around her shoulders. Santos froze, her face a little contorted. Mel didn’t know what that meant. She thought for a moment she broke the poor woman. “Trinity?”
“Give me a moment.” She whispered. Mel took the phone back and held it against her chest. Trinity rubbed her hands on her legs and looked at Mel. When she spoke it was soft, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“That I made you feel like you couldn’t share this with me.” In an instant, Santos' face changed and she smacked Mel on the leg, “does this mean you’re like dating Dr. Langdon?” Her face scrunched up. “I don’t know if I should be proud or worried.”
“It was one date, he might not even want a second date.” Mel’s phone buzzed and both women looked at it.
“Is that him?”
Mel peaked down, it was. It was a text rather than a message on the app. “Yeah.” Mel’s whole body blushed.
“What does it say?” Santos reached for the phone, but Mel pulled it out of her reach.
Mel looked down at the message, ‘I made it home’ Then another message came through, ‘I had a really great time, Mel.’ Mel smiled down at her phone like an idiot.
Santos groaned, “how did you manage to hold it together at work all this time?”
Mel shrugged, “I kept them separate. Dr. Langdon and Frank.”
“Oh god, don’t remind me his name is Frank.” Mel laughed, and she showed Trinity the messages. “Sounds like he wants to see you again.”
“What should I say?”
“No way, you’ve gotten this far on your own. I’ll probably just muck it up.”
Mel thought for a second before sending a reply, ‘I had a lovely time too.’ she pressed send and before thinking she added, ‘I’d like to do it again sometime.’
Santos was drinking more wine when Mel got a reply, ‘you should see the list of dates I’ve got planned for you.’
Mel’s eyes went wide, and she showed Santos the screen. “No, Mel. I don’t want to like him.”
“I’m sorry.” Mel giggled.
“No, you aren’t.” Trinity finished off her glass of wine before reaching for the bottle to poor herself some more.
summary: Trinity convinces Mel to join a dating app. What neither of them could have prepared for was Mel matching with Dr. Langdon.
no warning, it's fluff and angst.
also on AO3 if you'd rather read it there.
read chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3
Mel was panicking, but thankfully Santos was working that day. Mel pulled her into one of the unoccupied rooms.
“Woah, Melodrama what is it?” Mel shoved her phone in Santos face, it was open to the conversation she was having with Sean. “He asked you out?”
“Did you read it? He wants to go to the museum.”
“I thought you liked shit like that.”
“I do! That is the problem, how do I say no when I really want to go?”
Santos shrugged, “maybe you don’t say no.”
“You think I should go on a date with him?” Mel turned the phone to look at the message again. When she'd downloaded the app, Santos assured her that she didn't need to meet anyone if she didn't want to. Now, looking at Sean's message Mel got excited at the prospect of meeting him.
“I think you should get his phone number so you can stop texting in the app.” Mel hadn’t thought of that. “He’s the karaoke guy, right?” Mel nodded, “then yes, I think you should agree. And then we should share locations, just to be safe.”
Mel tucked her phone back in her pocket, “okay, I’ll agree to it.”
“Good, then we can have a debrief after?”
“Debrief?”
“I’ll come over with a bottle of wine and you can tell me all about it. Then we can decide if he gets a second date.”
“We?”
“Yes, Mel. That is what friends do.”
~~~
The date was scheduled for Wednesday. She had Thursday off, and Sean had wanted to accommodate her. A Wednesday date felt a little odd, but Santos assured her it was normal.
It was nearing the end of her shift, Santos said she’d help Mel do something nice with her hair. Santos had also had Mel bring multiple outfits, her bag was stuffed today.
Trinity and Mel were sat at the end of shift finishing up their charts, “I think you should wear the dress.”
“Isn’t it windy?”
“I thought you brought shorts.” Santos confirmed.
Mel did, but the dress felt like too much. “I don’t want him to think I’m trying too hard.”
Santos gave her a look, it was a look that told Mel she was over thinking this. Mel turned back to her charting.
“I’m heading out.” Dr. Langdon appeared beside Mel. “Any fun plans tonight? Karaoke again?”
“Mel’s ditched me for a date.” Santos informs Langdon. Mel's head snapped to her, “what? Was that a secret?”
No, it wasn’t. Not really. Dana knew and so did McKay, but it felt like it was a secret from Langdon. Mel shook her head and looked at Langdon. “I have a date.” The words felt awkward in her mouth.
He was smiling down at her, a little lopsided. “Enjoy your night, Dr. King.” Mel watched as Langdon walked through the emergency bay doors.
The bathroom felt claustrophobic. It might have been Santos making it feel that way. She’d taken Mel’s hair out of her braid and pulled it into a half up do. Mel liked it, it looked sweet.
She was wearing the blue sun dress that Trinity had approved the night before. “It doesn’t feel like too much?” Mel asked, trying to flatten down the front of the dress.
“Mel, you look great. It’s the perfect first date outfit. It says, I tried a little. You want him to know you tried, or else he’ll think you don’t care.” Mel thought that logic worked, she looked herself over in the tiny bathroom mirror again.
The closer the date got, the more Mel felt maybe she didn’t want to do this. Her stomach hurt. Her palms were sweaty. The worst thing was that Langdon’s face kept playing through her head. He had smiled, hadn’t he? That’s what she’d originally thought the look was, but now she wasn’t so sure. The worst thought that was bouncing around was what if Frank was the one going on a date, how would she feel?
She didn’t have time to analyze that thought as Trinity finished with her hair. “Perfect, and you’ve accepted the request to see your location.”
“Yes, I have. I will text you when I get to the museum.”
“Good, and if he wants to take you to dinner. That’s fine, but tell me where and Mel?” Mel locked in on Santos, “you don’t go to a second location.”
“Isn’t dinner a second location?”
“I mean like, don’t go back to his place.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Exactly, you wouldn’t.”
Trinity walked Mel to her car and then gave her a quick hug and wished her luck. It was nice, having a friend like Trinity.
~~~
Mel had a really good time on her date. She was dialing Trinity the moment she stepped in the door. “Are you home?”
“I just got in.” Mel said in reply.
“And?”
“It was really nice. We walked around the museum.”
“I’ll be over in like 10 minutes. Do you have wine glasses? Nevermind, I’m bringing my own.”
“It’s nearly 11PM, you still want to come over?” Mel was removing her shoes and looking over her apartment, it was clean enough.
Mel could hear Santos rummaging around on her end, “yes, I am coming over. I need to know every detail. Do you care if I stay over?”
“No, Becca’s at Adam’s, you can have her room.”
“Sweet! I’ll see you shortly.”
Mel had changed into her pajamas by the time Trinity walked in her door. Mel opened the wine and soon they settled on the couch.
Mel started at the beginning. He had arrived early, and was waiting at the box office when she arrived. He’d already bought them tickets. He’d also grabbed them information guides, just in case. It was all really sweet. He was easy to talk to. He made her laugh.
“Why do you look like someone killed your cat?”
“I don’t have a cat.” Mel said, she took a sip of wine. It was sweet, but Mel still made a face after tasting it.
“Mel, this all sounds really nice. Why do you look like you hated it?” She didn't hate it. Mel had a really good time. Sean was exactly the kind of person Mel would have described as her perfect match. Something didn't feel right.
Mel sighed, “I did like it. It was very nice. I just didn’t feel a spark. It felt friendly, but that's all.”
“Did you kiss him?” Mel shook her head. “Did you hold hands?” Another shake.
“I think I’m supposed to feel more.” like how you do when Frank messages you. Mel had thought about Langdon a lot during that date. She had replayed the conversation earlier, his smile. Was he happy for her to be dating? Then the familiar thought, was he dating? Mel didn't like that train of thought.
“That’s okay. This was just your first date. Is there anyone else you’ve been talking to?”
Mel thought about how to answer. She could tell Trinity. Tell her about how Frank had popped up on the app and she’d swiped right just to see. Maybe they would laugh about it. It was so silly, he’d probably done the exact same thing, but then they started talking. It didn’t feel funny anymore. Mel couldn’t do it. Frank felt like hers. A secret she wasn’t ready to release yet. “No, but I’ll start swiping again.”
“Get back on the horse.” Trinity raised her glass and Mel clinked theirs together, “to Mel’s adventures in dating.”
Mel laughed, she would go on a million first dates if they all ended like this.
~~~
Frank hadn’t messaged Mel. She didn’t expect him to. Well, she did, but she wasn’t surprised. Trinity went to bed 30 minutes ago, Mel was lying in bed looking at the last message she sent. She could be brave and send him a message first. Hadn’t Trinity told her to start every 10th conversation? ‘How was your evening?’
The reply came back within a minute, ‘I’ve had better, you?’
“Yeah, I’ve had better, but I’ve also had worse.” Mel wrote.
‘Do you want to tell me about it?’
She did. Mel liked talking to Langdon, he was her friend. However, she couldn’t imagine talking to Langdon the way she talked with Santos. That thought brought on the thought of Langdon sleeping in the bedroom next to hers. Her stomach felt tight. She wrote, ‘Nothing to tell. I’m sorry you didn’t have a great night.’
‘Me too.’ Mel didn’t know how to keep the conversation flowing. It was odd not having the hospital as an element in their friendship. ‘Would you want to meet up in person?’ It felt like an odd thing for him to say, but her heart hammered anyway.
Mel was unsure how to respond, she couldn’t figure out what he was asking. ‘What would we do?’
‘How about a hockey game?’
‘Really? I don’t know any of the rules.’
‘I could teach you. I like to think I’m a good teacher.’ Mel laughed out loud then covered her mouth with her hand remembering Santos was in the next room.
‘Okay, but then I get to take you somewhere you’ve never been.’
‘A second date already?’ Mel's heart sputtered at the word, ‘and where have I never been?’
Mel closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to hold onto this feeling. Her chest felt hot. Her face felt flush and her whole body felt electric. The joy she felt was terrifying, because it felt like this beautiful bubble would pop any moment. Maybe she was being catfished. Maybe Frank meant a friend date. Maybe she was reading into things. ‘Have you been to a Renaissance Fair?’
‘I have not. Does it entail dressing up?’
‘It does. Does that turn you off of it?’
‘Not in the slightest, sounds like I’ll get to dress you for the hockey game and you can dress me for the ren fair.’
‘Like a hockey jersey?’ Mel would need to look up hockey game attire.
‘I might also have a hat lying around.’
Mel giggled, ‘I don’t look good in hats.’
‘I have a hard time believing you look bad in anything.’ Mel pressed her face into her pillow and let out a groan. This man was trying to kill her. ‘Are you free next Friday?’ 9 days, she could get herself under control by then.
‘I can be.’
‘Pittsburg is playing Toronto. I’ll get us tickets.’ Mel took in a slow breath. She had a lot of different calming techniques, but Frank was actively trying to murder her.
‘I’m excited.’ Mel smiled at her phone. The glow from the screen illuminated her face.
‘I’d like to amend my earlier answer. Today has turned out to be a very great day.’ Mel kicked her feet under the covers. 9 days to get her emotions under control. 9 days to figure out how to be normal on a date with Frank Langdon.
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